- Make them attainable. Don't set goals where that will lead to failure. I read an article in Sports Illustrated years ago that Hershel Walker did one million push-ups and sit-ups a year. I wanted to do something like that but I knew that one million was unattainable. I did the math and determined that 75,000 sit-ups and push-ups would be challenging, but doable. So that was my goal.
- Write your goal down. Don't just write it down and put it away. Tape them on the bathroom mirror, put it in your car, post it on the refrigerator. Put it all over the place so you will see it and be reminded of it often.
- Tell other people about your goals. This helps in two ways. The first is the people you tell will act as a support group. They will ask you about how your goal is progressing. The second way that helps is you are then held accountable to the people you told. They will ask about your progress, and you don't want to respond with, "uh, oh yeah, that thing... well, I quit."
- Break large goals up. If you want to do 75,000 push-ups a year, that is approximately 260 a day, 6 days a week. If you want to run a marathon find a running program and stick to it. You don't run 26.2 the first day, you break it up and build up your strength.
- Make it up in your mind that you will DO IT! This is the most important part. Mr. Johnson (our 8th grade science teacher) taught us, "If it is to be, it is up to me." You are responsible for your own success (or failure) in life. There is another saying I like, "Whether you think you can, or can't, you're right." When achieving goals, you have to have a determination to make it happen. If you want to do 260 push-ups a day, then you have to make time to do it. You'll be tired at night, but you have to find the motivation to achieve your goal. If you want to progress your career, then you have to find the motivation to increase your knowledge, and skills. Determine what needs to be done and do it.
I'll end this rant by sharing a story my mother-in-law told me. She used to drive school buses and she always loved to drive the short bus (no, I didn't ever ride in her bus, but Renae did). She had a student named Daniel that suffered from cerebral palsy. He couldn't control his body. His muscles and hands wouldn't function, he would shake all the time. Daniel and Debbie (my mother-in-law) set a goal for Daniel that by the end of the school year, Daniel would be able to buckle his own seat belt. Everyday they tried, both morning and night. As the year progressed, Daniel got better at controlling his arms but still couldn't buckle the belt. Finally, on day 155, Daniel buckled his seat belt all by himself. It was the first time he had ever done anything for himself. He screamed "I did it! I did it!" He cried and Debbie cried. It was a great moment.
My challenge for you is to set some goals that will challenge and inspire you towards greatness. We set monthly goals with Addison and Aubrey to help them overcome habits like biting nails, talking back, making their beds and so on. The reward is they get to go on a date with either mom or dad. It's a lot of fun.
If you decide to set a goal of running a marathon, good luck! I ran my first one last June. My goal was to break 4 hours. I ran it in 3 hours 53 minutes and 19 seconds. It was the toughest thing I've ever done mentally and physically. The best part of it was that I lost 15 pounds. The year before I did all those sit-ups and push-ups. The combined effort looked great, if I do say so myself.
